Transformers: Generation One
(1984–1990 USA, 1984–1993 UK/Canada)
Main article: Transformers: Generation 1
The first Transformers toys were created from two different transforming robot toylines from Takara, the Diaclone and Micro Change (Microman)
series. Hasbro acquired the rights to sell them in the United States
but, instead of selling them under their original names, they were
rebranded as "The Transformers". The first two years consisted primarily
of reusing the Diaclone/Micro Change molds. Some of the models from the
Diaclone line still have the pilot's seat in their design. The earliest
toys had some parts made of die-cast metal, which were eventually phased out.
The line was released as "The Transformers" in the USA, Canada and the UK
in 1984 but Takara was still marketing Diaclone at least during 1984.
Hence in Japan "The Transformers" did not debut under that brand till
1985, when the line was also rolled out to the majority of the rest of
the world between Takara and Hasbro. Hasbro Europe still will not accept, however, that the range was released in the UK in 1984[citation needed],
not even with evidence such as Argos 1984 catalogues containing the
range, the UK comic launching in September 1984 or even the 1984
Transformers product catalogue produced by "Hasbro Industries (UK) Ltd,
Wokingham". It is thought that Hasbro Europe as it now stands did not
come into existence till 1985, hence no records of Transformers sales in
1984.[citation needed]
UK Transformers toys were sold in boxes identical to those of their
American counterparts until around 1998/9 when the range started to have
UK exclusives.
The 1984 and 1985 toy lines contained several figures of note. Megatron, the Decepticon leader, originally transformed into a realistic Walther P-38 pistol with stock and barrel extensions and scope. The Megatron toy was delayed till 1985 for release in the UK. The Constructicons
were the first "gestalt" team in the Transformers line, but were
different from most subsequent gestalt teams in that they consisted of
six members instead of five. The Autobot Jetfire was repainted from a Macross toy, specifically the VF-1 Valkyrie, and the character was renamed Skyfire in the animated television series program for copyright reasons.
In 1986 the Transformers animated movie had been released, and during
the run of the movie, through a pamphlet that came with certain
figures, you could order certain Transformers through the mail, such as
Optimus Prime among other toys. The toys came in a standard brown mailer
box, with items, booklet, and a limited Edition Movie certificate and
sticker.
The 1986 line featured another significant change in that many, if
not the majority, of the toys were conceived as futuristic vehicles and
bore little resemblance to present-day machinery. This was due to
changes in the movie and television series, which leaped ahead twenty
years to the year 2005. Many have speculated that this change might have
been what signaled the beginning of the end for the Transformers, as
part of the novelty of the first lines was the realistic vehicles that
turned into robots.
For the 1987 and 1988 lines, Hasbro introduced even more radical ideas through new sub-groups. The Headmasters and Targetmasters came with partners who transformed into the figure's head or weapon, respectively. Powermasters, including the new version of fan favorite Optimus Prime,
came with partners that transformed into engines. Each line would see
various permutations over the two-year span, including smaller
Headmasters, Double Targetmasters, and a Powermaster with two engines.
The most controversial line of this period was the Pretenders.
Pretenders consisted of a Transformer contained inside an action figure
shell who could "pretend" to be either a human or a monster. Complaints
with this line were numerous, including the lack of articulation of the
figures (the shells could only move their arms), the simple
transformation of the robots within, and their increasing lack of
resemblance to any sort of modern recognizable vehicle. Still, despite
the complaints, the Pretender line continued through all but the final
year of Generation One, with variations such as Beast Pretenders,
Monster Pretenders, Classic Pretenders, Mega Pretenders and Ultra
Pretenders, each with variations on the theme or increasing levels of
complexity.
Also during this time, Micromasters
were introduced, and would become one of the last sub-groups of
Generation One. Micromasters were tiny Transformers created to compete
with the Micro Machines,
a hugely popular toy line of the time. While many of the figures had
simple transformations and little detail due to their small size, the
line eventually expanded to feature Micromaster Transports and Bases, in
which Micromasters came with larger vehicles or bases that transformed.
In 1989, the entire line became limited to Pretenders and
Micromasters. For the first time, the Transformers received a new design
for their title logo. But many also regarded this as a time of a dearth
in creativity and the lowest point in the toyline's history. The year
1990 saw the last American burst with the release of more Micromaster
characters and the introduction of the Action Masters,
non-transforming action figures who came with Transforming companions.
Larger Action Master sets came with transforming vehicles and bases. The
Action Master line was criticized for its perceived desperation for a
gimmick, although it had a few defenders. The line predictably faded and
would be the last Transformers output in the US until 1992.
While Transformers ended poorly for the US market, the same can not be said for the UK, Canada, and Japan
markets as they went on to produce their own continuing series between
1991 to 1993, despite the UK market in particular missing a substantial
amount of figures prominent in the comics and animated series throughout
the line's run. Each country produced their own continuity. The UK and
Canada continued with new Action Master figures and introduced the Turbo Masters and Predators. Japan continued with the Micromasters concept.
The 1992 and 1993 European and Canadian releases make up what is
often called "Generation 1.5", much to the annoyance of many UK fans.
These toys are similar in design to the Generation 2
Transformers, having lightpipe eyes, and pastel colors. The 1993
European figures used the G2 faction symbols which Hasbro UK designed
because their licence on the G1 symbols had expired. The 1993 figures
were repackaged for European G2 release in 1994, and three subgroup
molds got used in the US G2 line.
The term Generation 1 is a retronym; the series was simply known as "Transformers" until the release of the Generation 2
series. However, the term has become semi-official, as both Hasbro and
Takara have referred to this era as "Generation 1". New characters are
still occasionally added to the line, primarily by E-hobby. (Examples: Sunstorm, Hauler, Detritus,
and the like.) Large-scale production of new characters in this line
ended with the onset of Generation 2. Transformers fans often are very
upheld with the G1 community. This has led to controversy among fans who
consider G1 to be the only "pure" form of Transformers.
The line was later commemorated as a sub-series of the Transformers: Universe line.
Transformers: Generation Two
(1993–1995 USA, 1994–1995 UK/Canada)
Main article: Transformers: Generation 2
In late 1993, Hasbro relaunched the Transformers franchise with the Generation 2 line, with production again largely being done by Takara.
The subgroups concept was done away with for the first year, but there
were no new molds or characters. Generation 2 re-used the molds for many
of the characters from the 1984 and 1985 line, but with mostly
different color schemes and finishes, as well as different weapons and
accessories. Megatron's figure was released later on. As noted
previously, Megatron's original alternate mode, or "transformation
identity", was a handgun with attachments, but in Generation Two, this was changed to a tank due to safety and security concerns. Most of the 1994 figures were re-releases or recolors of European G1 releases.
Unfortunately for both Takara and Hasbro, the Generation Two series
of Transformers sold poorly, and Hasbro abandoned it after two years.
There were toys planned that never saw release. Most of these were G1
combiner team recolors or recolors of recent figures. Four unreleased
molds were released in the Machine Wars line, and four more resurfaced in the Robots In Disguise series.
The line was later commemorated as a sub-series of the Transformers: Universe line.
Beast Wars and Beast Machines
(1996–2001)
Main articles: Beast Wars and Beast Machines
With the failure of the Generation 2 series, Hasbro and Takara
decided the franchise needed an overhaul. They went in a new direction
and a new beginning. While there had been Transformers that change into
robotic animals, the premise of the new line was that all figures would
transform into animals with realistic appearances. The Beast Wars
toyline was launched in the autumn of 1995, and Mainframe Entertainment
produced a computer-generated imagery, or CGI, animated series program
to tie in with the new toyline. A fresh idea coupled with a TV series
program with strong stories assured this series the success Hasbro and
Takara needed, as this series was a giant hit in international markets
as well as in Takara's home market, Japan.
Hasbro's original plan for the Beast Wars was to have Optimus Prime,
renamed Optimus Primal, and Megatron be reformatted versions of their
1980s selves. This was shown in the toys's Tech Specs, and in the comic
packaged with the basic Optimus Primal/Megatron two-pack. Hasbro also
wanted the "Mutant Heads" found on all of the deluxe sized first year
toys as battle helmets, but Mainframe scrapped the idea as it would have
required three animation models for each character instead of two.
Another designed feature for the 1995/1996 toys was carried over from Generation 2, transparent "light pipe" eyes. However, most toys had those parts cast in opaque plastic.
The Beast Wars line was also the first appearance of "flip changer"
Basics, where flipping a part of the animal mode (usually the head or
tail) would transform the entire toy, and moving the part back would
transform the toy back to beast mode. Like other features, this was only
used in the 1995/1996 Basics and their repaints.
Beast Wars: Transformers had to be renamed in some countries, particularly Canada, because of concern over the word "war" in the title. So, in some countries, it was released under the title Beasties.
Long-time Transformers fans noticed the prominence of the words "Beast
Wars" over "Transformers", the latter appearing in small type under the
former. The Transformers's fan base splintered into two groups as a
direct result, with the one enjoying Beast Wars for what it was and the
other refusing to accept it as official canon in the Transformers
mythology.
The success of Beast Wars and the change in storyline resulted in its
second phase: Beast Machines. Like Beast Wars, the name Transformers
was used only as a secondary title. While still a success, the storyline
and direction borne by Beast Machines was questioned and criticized by
the most ardent fans who knew the previous history of the Transformers.
Also, there was a clamor for a return to the original idea of the
Transformers, that of their being protean robots with nearly humanlike
artificial intelligences who transformed into vehicles or devices.
The line was later commemorated as sub-series of the Transformers: Titanium and Transformers: Universe lines.
Robots in Disguise
(2001–2002)
Main article: Transformers: Robots in Disguise
While Beast Machines was still running in Canada, Japan's Takara made a bid to return to the familiar vehicle-transforming robots concept. In 2000, Car Robots was released. This line was brought by Hasbro to America as the Robots In Disguise
series, and featured the Autobots facing off against the Predacons.
This series is usually regarded by most as filler while Hasbro
contemplated the next direction for Transformers. However most fans of
Transformers recognise that most if not all of the toys released from
this line were of excellent quality (with the Optimus Prime and Ultra
Magnus figures gaining considerable praise), combining the ball-joint
articulation with detailed, well painted alternate modes.
Once again Optimus Prime and Megatron were re-engineered, with Prime now a fire truck and Megatron a six changer, whose modes included a dragon, bat, jet, land-craft and a giant hand. Another G1 character to get a new toy for this line was Ultra Magnus, who could combine with Optimus Prime to form Omega Prime. Other combiners were created for the series too, such as Landfill and Rail Racer. Bruticus, a combiner from G1 was also recoloured and introduced into the series, with a coinciding toy re-release. The Combaticons that formed Bruticus were the first of the Decepticons to be introduced into the show along with Scourge,
who as a toy was a black repaint of G2 Laser Prime. These were not the
only toys to be re-released for this series, with many from past lines
being repainted and packaged in RID boxes. Robots In Disguise was
responsible for introducing a lot of concepts that would be re-used
often in the next incarnations of Transformers.
Also of note, Megatron's toy was repainted and re-released (retooled
to allow 4 new altmodes) under the name Galvatron, beginning a tradition
of repaints that would follow through with Armada and subsequent toy
lines.
The line was later commemorated as a sub-series of the Transformers: Universe line.
Transformers: Armada
(2002–2003)
In 2003, Transformers: Armada launched a pivotal new era in
the toy line. After several lines of toys produced by one company or the
other, Hasbro and Takara united to produce what was purported to be a
single, identical line of Transformers for release worldwide. In tandem
with this new endeavor, Armada signaled a new continuity in its accompanying animated series and a new focus in both the show and the toys on Mini-Cons,
a new faction of Transformers. The Mini-Cons were much smaller robots
(not much larger than humans) who were neutral in the Autobot/Decepticon
fight, but due to their incredible power and abilities, were sought by
both factions.
The lowest priced toys in the Armada line were three-packs of
Mini-Cons. Each larger price point consisted of an Autobot or Decepticon
who came with a Mini-Con partner. Mini-Cons could be used to unlock a
variety of features on each larger robot, such as firing weapons,
electronic lights and sounds, or alternate modes. Some three-pack
Mini-Cons combined into other forms or had additional features.
According to the storyline, Mini-Cons also enhanced the power of other
Transformers, giving incentive to collect as many of them as possible.
Other items of note in the Armada line:
- The Armada line featured the first commercially available figure of Unicron, who is a legendary character from Generation 1, and the main villain of The Transformers: The Movie. Unicron is a robot who transforms into an entire planet.
- The Mini-Cons often mimicked features associated with Generation 1 sub-groups such as the Headmasters and Targetmasters, transforming into weapons and, in three cases, a Transformer's head.
The line was later commemorated as a sub-series of the Transformers: Universe line.
Transformers: Universe
(2002–present)
Main article: Transformers: Universe
A catch-all line initially filled with mostly redecos
and repackages of older toys. This line was revitalized in 2008 with
new molds and the introduction of various sub-series from previous
popular Transformers lines like Classics.
Transformers: Energon
(2003–2005)
After the successful Armada toy line, Hasbro/Takara introduced Transformers: Energon. The accompanying television series program was a direct continuation of the events of Transformers: Armada
and featured many of the same characters in new forms. This was
reflected in the toy line, as characters such as Hot Shot, Jetfire,
Optimus Prime and Megatron were all released with entirely new molds.
Transformers: Energon introduced several new concepts to the
toy line. Two new sub-groups, the Omnicons and Terrorcons, joined the
fray, representing smaller factions of the Autobots and Decepticons
respectively. The smaller toys in these sub-groups came with Energon
weapons that could be used by the larger Autobots and Decepticons, along
with Energon chips that could be fastened to the larger figures to
enhance their power. Energon weapons and chips came in a variety of
colors of translucent plastic. Many Autobot figures in the line were
able to combine with a partner to form a larger robot through the
"Powerlinx" process. The Decepticons were designed instead with
alternative "attack modes". While no longer the focus of the line, there
were several Mini-Con releases in Energon as well.
Other items of note in the Energon line:
- Energon contains perhaps the most homages to Generation 1 Transformers in any subsequent line, with toys featuring similarities to classic figures such as Omega Supreme, Skids, Wheeljack, Galvatron and Ravage.
- Many larger figures in the line came with no weapons, to fit with the concept that Omnicons and Terrorcons provided energy and weaponry for them. Fittingly, then, the smaller robots were often armed to the hilt with weaponry.
- In a break from tradition, Energon Optimus Prime's large mode resembled a configuration similar to Voltron or to the Super Sentai action figures. This design was unpopular with many fans due to design issues with the toy. The small robot's body was large in proportion to his arms and legs which made the figure appear fat, earning it the nickname "Fatimus Prime" or "Obese-imus Prime". The 4 vehicles that combined with the robot were small, lacking the intricate detail that made other toys in the line popular. Fans were also angered by early releases of this toy in which the head was molded with a mouth rather than the traditional face plate design. Later releases of the toy eliminated the visible mouth feature.
Transformers: Cybertron
(2005–2007)
Transformers: Cybertron, named Galaxy Force in Japan, was a follow-up to the successful Armada and Energon
lines. The companion anime series program was not originally conceived
or produced as a continuation of the Armada/Energon storyline, and it
was only later that it was retconned to be a continuation. Thus, several
inconsistencies exist. Once again, a new feature was introduced for the
line—Cyber Keys, which activated special functions on the figures in a
manner similar to the Mini-Cons in Armada. Each figure came with a Cyber
Key regardless of size, but there were several Cyber Keys crucial to
the plot of the anime series which only came with certain figures.
Again, many of the same characters were included but with entirely new
figures from new molds.
Also of note in the Cybertron line:
- Primus, the creator of the Transformers conceived by Simon Furman for the UK Transformers comic, received action figure treatment in the Cybertron line. He transformed into the planet Cybertron itself.
- For the first time since Rodimus Prime in Generation One, Cybertron featured a Prime other than Optimus — Vector Prime, said to be one of the first 13 Transformers ever created.
- By this time, Hasbro/Takara was using a higher ratio of repaints consisting of figures from the Armada and Energon lines. In addition, by the end of its run, Cybertron was competing with several other simultaneous lines, including Universe, Alternators and Titanium.
- Many of the repaints taken from the Armada line had remolded parts retro-fitted to the original designs so their Mini-con features would now use a planet key instead.
The line was later commemorated as a sub-series of the Transformers: Universe line.
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